Just as “a picture is worth a thousand words,” sometimes a small group of words can convey a much larger meaning–a spiritual maxim. Such is the case with what is called “pithy grabbers.” When I was working as an engineer at Hyster Company in Portland, Oregon from 1969-1974, I enjoyed listening to Dr. Joe Aldrich, who was then a new president of Multnomah School of the Bible, having taken Dr. Jack Mitchell’s place. Dr. Aldrich coined the phrase “pity grabbers” for short proverbs or quotes which convey a deep meaning. 

     According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, the word “pithy” means “terse and full of substance or meaning.”  A synonym might be “concise.” Thus a “pithy grabber” is a concise statement which really gets (grabs) your attention. The Bible is full of such “pithy grabbers,” many of which continue to be used today. One whole book is full of such concise, attention-getting, statements. They were compiled by King Solomon and the book is called “Proverbs.”  A “proverb” is a short, pithy, saying stating a general truth or piece of advice.”  Solomon, who was given great wisdom from God (I Kgs. 3:9-13), “also spoke 3,000 proverbs and his songs were 1,005” (I Kgs. 4:32). Some 522 of those proverbs are included in the book of Proverbs in our Bibles.  Included are wisdom “sayings “such as: “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently” (Pr. 13:24), “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Pr. 4:23), and “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances” (Pr. 25:11).  

     The Bible has had a tremendous impact on lives ever since it was divinely given by inspiration of God and recorded by some 40 authors over a period of about 1500 years (II Tim. 3:16,17; II Pet. 1:20,21). The message of the Bible of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ has been transforming lives for centuries and continues to do so today. But, we can also see the influence the Bible has had on society in our everyday language, with the common use of many proverbial sayings and phrases that have  transcended generations, civilizations and cultures–enduring for thousands of years–all across the globe. Many of us, unknowingly, use numerous sayings that originated in Scripture.  Some are not used in the same context as they originated, but most actually are. Many are taken from the KJV and others from more modern translations. Here are some that you might recognize:

     “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3)                                              “Baptism of fire” (Mt. 3:11; Lk. 3:16)       “Forbidden fruit” (Gen. 2:16,17)                                          “Salt of the earth” (Mt. 5:13)

     “By the sweat of your brow” (Gen. 3:19)                             “Go the extra mile” (Mt. 5:41)

      “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” (Gen. 3:19)                        “Don’t cast your pearls before the                                                                                                    swine” (Mt. 7:6)

     “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9)                              “The straight and narrow” (Mt. 7:14)

     “As old as Methuselah” (Ge. 5:25-27)                                “A house divided cannot stand”                                                                                                        (Mt.12:25; Mk. 3:25; Lk. 11:17)

     “Fire and Brimstone” (Gen. 19:24; Ps. 11:6; Rev. 21:8)    “Fall by the wayside” (Mt. 13:4;                                                                                                           Mk.4:4)

     “Land of milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8)                                    “Flesh and blood” (Mt. 16:7;                                                                                                                         Ezel 6:12)

     “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Ex. 21:23-25; Lev. 24:19,20)       “Cross to bear” (Mt. 16:24)

     “Scapegoat” (Lev. 16:10)                                                    “Move mountains” (Mt. 17:20; 21:21;                                                                                               Mk. 11:23; I Cor. 13:2)

     “The apple of his eye” (Dt. 32:10; Zech. 2:8)                      “Millstone around your neck”                                                                                                            (Mt. 18:6; Mk. 9:42; Lk. 17:2)

     “A man after my heart” (I Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22)             “The eleventh hour” (Mt. 20:6)

     “Put words in one’s mouth” (II Sam. 14:3)                          “He who lives by the sword dies by                                                                                                   the sword” (Mt. 26:52)                     “Put your house in order” (II Kgs. 20:1; Isa. 38:1)                “Wash your hands of the matter”                                                                                                             (Mt. 27:24)

     “Nothing but skin and bones” (Job 19:20)                            “Good Samaritan” (Lk. 1):30-37)

     “By the skin of your teeth” (Job 19:20)                                 “O ye of little faith!” (Lk. 12:28)

     “Behemoth” (Job 40:15)                                                      “Give up the ghost” (Lk. 23:46;

                                                                                                Jn. 19:30; Acts 12:23)

     “Broken heart” (Ps. 34:18; 69:20)                                       “Throw the first stone” (Jn. 8:7)

     ” At their wits end” (Psa. 107:27)                                        “Better to give than to receive”

                                                                                                (Acts 20:35)

     “Pride comes before a fall” (Pr. 16:18)                               “A law unto themselves” (Ro. 2:14)

     “Spare the rod, spoil the child” (Pr. 13:24)                         “The powers that be” (Ro. 13:1)

     “Nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9)                            “Signs of the times” (Mt. 16:3)

     “For everything there is a season” (Eccl. 3:1)                    “The kiss of death” (Mt. 26:48-50)

     “Eat, drink, and be merry” (Eccl. 8:15; Lk. 12:19)              “The truth will set you free” (Jn. 8:32)

     “A fly in the ointment” (Eccl. 10:1)                                     “The twinkling of an eye”

                                                                                                (I Cor. 15:52)

     “A little birdie told me” (Eccl. 10:20)                                  “The letter of the law” (II Cor. 3:6)

     “The four corners of the earth” (Isa. 11:12)                       “You reap what you sow” (Gal. 6:7)

     “A drop in the bucket” (Isa. 40:15)                                    “Fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4)

     “See eye to eye” (Isa. 52:8)                                              “Labor of love” (I Thes. 1:3)

     “Like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7; Jer. 11:19)        “The love of money is the root of all                                                                                                      evil” (I Tim. 6:10)

     “No rest for the wicked” (Isa. 57:21)                                 “A thorn in the flesh” (II Cor. 12:7)

     “Rise and shine” (Isa. 60:1)                                             “Wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Mt. 7:15)

     “Can a leopard change his spots?” (Jer. 13:23)              “Fight the good fight” (I Tim. 6:12)

     “Set your teeth on edge” (Jer. 31:29)

     “Sour grapes” (Ezek. 18:2)

     “Feet of clay” (Dan. 2:31-33)

     “Handwriting on the wall” (Dan. 5:5,6)

     “Ends of the earth” (Zech. 9:10)

     Quite obviously many people know more from the Bible than they realize!  But, they also need to know the “God of the Bible,” and we get to know Him through God the Son, Jesus Christ, who came to reveal God to us (John 1:1-3,14,18; Heb. 1:1-3) and to provide the way to eternal life through His sacrifice for our sins. (Jn. 3:16; I Jn. 4:9,10).   If you have never done so, put your trust in Him today. Acknowledge your sin and thank Him that He paid the penalty for them by dying on the cross and rising from the grave. 

Forever His,

Pastor Dave

P.S.  I have been compiling “pithy grabbers” for about 50 years and have them all categorized by subject and hope to publish them one day soon, but if you would like me to email them to you (about 165 pages!) you could put them on a flash drive. Let me know if you would like them and I will send them to you.